There’s one asset the plan often leaves out: you.
I’m sitting on the deck in Connecticut, gazing out at the lake.
The lawn rolls down toward the water. There are boats. Trees. A spectacular kitchen behind me. It’s quiet enough to hear yourself think, which isn’t always an advantage.
It’s a beautiful home.
I’ve got a fine scotch and a good cigar.
It’s a wonderful life.
It’s not my house. I’m here as a guest.
But looking at all of this, I had a thought.
If it were mine, I’d still be wondering: What’s next?
Not because I’d need a bigger house. Or another boat. Or another zero in my pocket.
I’m not talking about money at all.
Successful people are generally pretty good at planning for money. How to make it. Invest it. Protect it. Pass it along. Create generational wealth.
We have very smart people to help with all of that.
But there’s one asset the plan often leaves out.
You.
What are you going to do with yourself?
At some point, if things have gone reasonably well, you acquire something even more valuable than money.
Choice.
You’ve built the company. Made partner. Run the organization. Established the practice. Raised the family.
And suddenly the most interesting question isn’t what you can do next.
It’s what you want to do next.
Those aren’t the same thing.
Successful people aren’t usually short of opportunities. Somebody wants you on a board. Somebody wants you to invest. Consult. Speak. Advise.
Eventually somebody wants you to sell reverse mortgages.
Every time I see Tom Selleck doing one of those commercials, I want to call him.
“Tom. You’ve done the mortgages. You’ve presumably made a few bucks. The mustache remains magnificent. What’s next?“
I’m kidding.
Mostly.
Because there’s a more serious question underneath it.
Is your next thing simply the next opportunity someone puts in front of you? Or are you going to choose it?
Maybe it’s another company. A book. Teaching. Public service. A cooking show. Something nobody who knows you would ever predict.
Or maybe you have absolutely no idea.
That’s interesting too.
But there’s a catch.
We tend to put these things in a box marked “Next Chapter.”
The book. The board work. The new venture. The thing you’ve always wanted to try.
They can wait.
But your next chapter doesn’t begin when this one ends.
You don’t have to start it today.
Its prerequisites might have to.
Relationships take time. Reputations take time. New skills take time.
Money can accelerate plenty.
It can’t buy back runway.
Which is why “What’s next?” isn’t really a retirement question.
It’s a question for anyone successful enough to have earned the right to choose.
I’m still looking at the water.
Still not my house.
But if it were, I wouldn’t be wondering what else I needed.
I’d be wondering what else I wanted to do.
You’ve earned the right to choose.
So…what are you going to choose?